Previously: But why would Ginny want the diary? Now that she knew what it was, why would she keep a former Dark Magic artifact near her?

It appeared there was more to Ginny Weasley than he had realized.

Disclaimer: Back in the day, fanfiction writers didn't need to disclaim anything. Everyone simply assumed that if you were wasting your time on fanfiction, you must not own anything worth going to court over.

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A Lingering Memory
Chapter Five: Hogwarts Express

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The lush grounds of Hogwarts faded from view in a blur of green as Ginny stared out the window on the Hogwarts Express. The train was speeding up – away from her school, her classes, the Chamber of Secrets …

But no matter how much distance there was between Ginny and the Chamber, she would still carry a small piece of the memory with her.

Unfortunately, the student population's fascination with the Chamber of Secrets had not yet died down, so she found herself bombarded with nosy questions.

"Ohmygosh, what was it like?"

"Did you actually touch a snake?"

"Ewwwwwwww!"

Ginny fought the insatiable urge to hex them into next term with uncharacteristic patience.

Thankfully, about halfway through the long train ride, a plump, dimpled woman slid back the door to the compartment.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked kindly.

As if to answer, Ginny's stomach gave a loud grumble in reply.

She was about to ask for a Licorice Wand when Draco Malfoy appeared, shoving into the doorway.

"Weasley. We need to talk," he ordered authoritatively, pointing his nose slightly upwards for effect.

The poor woman with the trolley stared for a few moments before rushing away as inconspicuously as possible, a few Pumpkin Pasties and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans falling off the cart in her wake.

Ginny stood up and followed him out of the compartment, shutting the door purposefully. Her friends began to gossip and speculate as to what Malfoy was up to, but they couldn't possibly guess.

Draco led Ginny into an empty compartment, and performed the most powerful silencing and privacy charms he knew.

Looking around for evesdroppers, Draco said in a low voice, "I've heard from reliable sources that you have not been such a golden Gryffindor lately."

"Don't believe everything you hear," Ginny evaded slyly.

"How very Slytherin of you to say," he said, half-accusingly, half-complimentary. Choosing his words carefully, Draco continued, "I know that you've been… aligning yourself with our kind. Purebloods like ourselves must stick together, you know" he hinted delicately, as instructed by his father.

An alliance with a Weasley, coming from a prominently Light family, was invaluable. If the youngest Weasley's allegiances were wavering, this was the perfect opportunity for… persuasion.

"If you want to know where your real Allies are," Draco said as he handed her a folded piece of parchment, "Give us a Floo."

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door.

"Ginny! Are you in there?" called a familiar voice.

Ginny quickly slipped the parchment into her robes. As the compartment door flew open, Harry, Ron and Hermione all pointed their wands at Draco threateningly.

"Leave my sister alone," Ron snarled. "Have you gotten tired of getting beaten by me? So you've decided to go after someone closer to your own talent level, like a First Year girl?"

"If I wanted a challenge, it certainly wouldn't involve anyone from your family," Draco sneered as he left. "Although, perhaps…" he mused under his breath, casting a furtive look back at Ginny, "There is hope for some of the Weasleys yet."

"What did you say?" Ron shouted after Draco, shaking his fist while being physically restrained by Hermione. "Say that to my face, you coward!"

Harry and Hermione shook their heads sadly.

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The train came to a stop in front of the platform, screeching as the wheels halted. The students were allowed through the magical barrier to the Muggle World in pairs of twos and threes.

As soon as Ginny had passed through, she was swept into the bone-crushing hug of Molly Weasley.

"Oh, Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "I was so worried!"

"Molly, you're making a scene," Mr. Weasley whispered to his wife. Sure enough, several Muggles had stopped to look at the bizarre family of redheads. Reluctantly, Mrs. Weasley released Ginny from her arms.

Ron and Harry came though the barrier, weighed down by their heavy trunks, followed by the Weasley twins, all of whom were fiercely hugged by a teary eyed Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum – geroff," Ron mumbled embarrassedly, his ears turning red. Mrs. Weasley, complied, and Ron brushed of his clothing and composed himself, looking around to make sure none of his classmates had seen.

"Hey, Ginny," Ron remembered, "What did Malfoy want with you anyway?"

"Oh, you know. Just being a prat." Ginny lied smoothly. It wasn't much of stretch.

"Malfoy was talking to you?" Mr. Weasley asked sharply, checking his daughter for bruises, hex-marks, or any of the other tell-tale symptoms of a Weasley-Malfoy encounter.

"Aw, don't worry dad," Ginny said with a wicked grin, "I got him good," she said, pressing her fist into the palm of her hand.

"You punched Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley asked eagerly, beaming with pride. Ron, Fred and George were all staring at their little sister with newfound respect.

Mrs. Weasley elbowed her husband forcefully and glared reproachfully.

"I mean, er, that was very wrong of you, Ginny, very wrong…" Mr. Weasley amended.

But as soon as Mrs. Weasley had turned her back, Mr. Weasley winked at his only daughter and gave her a thumbs up of approval.

Ginny closed her fingers tightly around the piece of parchment in her pocket and smiled back.

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AN: Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated… but here it is, chapter five! Short, yeah…

This story isn't written in stone, in fact, it's not completely written at all… so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. Also, this is unbetaed, so all the mistakes are mine.

Review!